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PennDesign Student Council

"To realize the full potential of the diverse and interdisciplinary spirit of PennDesign."

Mission Statement

The PennDesign Student Council is responsible for championing the interests of all academic disciplines by facilitating connections between students within the school, across the university, and with Philadelphia and the design community at large. Rather than having program-specific events dedicated to social, service, academic, or student group initiatives, StuCo works to shape PennDesign into a healthy, integrated collective of artists, designers, planners, and scholars-in-training who share a perspective that looks beyond disciplinary labels in an environment that is stimulating for students and faculty.

Budget

Each year, Student Council is responsible for managing a sizeable budget consisting of funds that are allocated to social programming, school wide celebrations, and the activities carried out by various student groups.

In recent years, the Student Council budget has been distributed as follows:

Share of BudgetDedicated Use

35%Weekly Friday Night PennDesign Happy Hour

25%Student Group Funding

40%Schoolwide celebrations + events

Friday Night Happy Hour

PennDesign’s tradition of Friday Night Happy Hour draws hundreds of students each week and serves as the cornerstone of the weekly calendar. In the warmer months, Student Council hosts Happy Hour outside on the Meyerson Hall patio. The Lower Gallery provides a warmer environment during the winter. Funding for Happy Hour goes towards refreshments (beer, cider, soda, and water) and snacks.

Student Groups

PennDesign students are involved in a variety of activities outside of the classroom, including student groups that include extensions of academic interests, affinity groups, shared interest groups, and social groups. Student Groups receiving funding from a variety of university sources, including from the PennDesign Student Council operating budget. In the fall, we solicit requests for funding through an application process. We evaluate applications based on the following criteria:

Mission: Group purpose and alignment with PennDesign values

Budget: Proposed utilization of funds for the academic year

Track Record: History of delivering valuable, inclusive programming in past years

A third bucket of Student Council’s budget is directed towards school wide events. These events range in scale from snacks and coffee around midreviews and to the annual Beaux Arts Ball.

Election

Student Council leadership includes two co-presidents, four vice presidents (finance, student life, social, communications), event leads, and GAPSA representatives, in addition to representatives from each of the PennDesign disciplines (city planning, architecture, landscape architecture, historic preservation, fine arts, environmental building design, and urban spatial analytics). Members of the Student Council are elected by the PennDesign student body in the spring of the previous academic year with the option for elections to continue in the early fall to include newly admitted students.

FAQS

Who elects the Student Council?Members of the Student Council are elected by the PennDesign student body in the early fall of each academic year, though the presidents and vice presidents are elected in the spring in order to ensure continuity over the summer.

When and where does the Student Council hold meetings?

Student Council holds monthly meetings in Meyerson Hall. For more information about upcoming Student Council meetings, please reach out to your StuCo Presidents.

Can I attend a Student Council meeting?Student Council meetings are generally attended only by members, but others are welcome to attend with prior notice. In the event that you are interested in attending, please contact your StuCo Presidents.

Where does Student Council money go?For information on the uses of Student Council’s budget, please refer to the Budget page.